Moree Boars returned to Jack Woolaston Oval for Sunday’s Whitehaven Coal Group 4 first grade grand final replay in triumph, snaring a 42-16 victory over the reigning premiers.
In the seven try success showed they might be the side to beat in 2024 with some brilliant long range tries mixed with some stinging defence.
Indeed, North Tamworth coach Paul Boyce reckoned of their performance “they (Moree) might be the benchmark for the season”.
Sunday’s GF replay started evenly for both sides and it took a dropped ball by the Bear attackers in the seventh minute for Moree to post their first try.
Winger Jake Tighe scooped up the lost ball and raced 80m to score.
19 minutes later and the Boars were in for a second time after an offload from new lock Jack Durheim gave Brenton Cochrane the room to step his way over for the first of his three brilliant tries.
Six minutes later and the Bears hit back after a good sharp burst from Dean Evans enabled a quick play the ball and a sharp pass from Liam Ball to Mark Simon for Simon to slice over beside the posts.
12-6 at halftime it was anyone’s game but three brilliant tries in the first seven minutes of the second half turned the game westards to the Boars.
A Durheim flicked pass to a support and a wide pass onto tall centre Mark Pegus allowed the bearded back to race down the eastern flank then send winger dereik Newman in for a shock try.
The shocks rolled on as Brenton Cochrane stepped over three minutes later then Cochrane and Jamie Sampson put Pegus away again and after Adrian Smith’s fifth straight conversion it was 30-6.
When lock Durheim produced another good pass for Pegus to rush 30m and score again for a 36-6 lead.
Norths did thwart the next Moree attack and seemed like they might mount a fightback when Ryley McKay took a quick 20m tap and raced 80m to score, fending off Smith’s tackle attempts two or three times.
However, the Boars steadied with Alex Barker junior sending Cochrane in for his third try and at 42-10 the game was won.
Kieran Fisher’s wide pass to winger Jone Ratulevu allowed the gangly Fijian flyer to beat two tackles and race 50m for the final try of the match and 16 points for the Bears.
Moree, who lost captain-coach Michael Watton to concussion (friendly fire from a head clash with Marshall Barker), earned a “really good wrap” from Watton.
“We came here and beat them at their own game,” Watton told his side in a jubilant dressing shed.
“I’m really happy with that,” he said.
“We’ve got so much strike power.”
The addition of lock Durheim and centre Pegus adds to an even better Boar side that went so close last season.
Paul Boyce echoed that in his estimation that the Boars might be the benchmarks for this season.
“I thought the first half was fairly even,” he said.
“We were right in it at 12-6 after they had scored a lucky try off a bad pass from us.”
However, the second half was all Moree early on.
“We let in 18 points nine minutes,” he said.
“They were more enthusiastic, more energetic and played some food football.
“Credit to Moree, they deserved to win but we’ve got a bit to work on.”
The Bears did have three key forwards, Josh Schmiedel, James Cooper and Jack Patterson missing but Paul Boyce said the club has good depth.
They also lost backrower Damian Scott in the opening three minutes to concussion as well.
“We just got out-performed,” Boyce said.
He thought fullback Lynken Dickson was one of his best and debutant centre Ryan Hall “made some good metres in the first half”.
“We’ve got a bit to work on,” he said.
Three-try Boar hero Brenton Cochrane also told his teammates they have plenty to work on in regards to “grinding it out”.
He was worried the Boars, when leading 36-10, didn’t “put the foot to the throat” of the Bears and grind them even further into the Jack Woolaston Oval turf as Norths have done so many times in their amazing eight successive premiership seasons.
All results:
Moree 42 defeated North Tamworth 16
Kootingal 66 defeated Wee Waa 6
Werris Creek 38 defeated Narrabri 18
Boggabri 44 defeated Gunnedah 26
Second Grade
All results:
Moree 24 defeated North Tamworth 6
Werris Creek 58 defeated Narrabri 18
Gunnedah 22 defeated Boggabri 16
Ladies League Tag
ZARA Mannion and her twin sister, Grace, excelled for the Gunnedah Bulldogs when they inspired their side to a 46-10 win over Boggabri Kangaroos in Saturday’s second round Whitehaven Coal Group 4 Ladies League Tag clash at Kitchener Park.
All results:
Gunnedah 46 defeated Boggabri 10
Werris Creek 50 defeated Narrabri 0
North Tamworth 48 defeated Moree 0
Kootingal 60 defeated Wee Waa 0
Under 18s
All results:
Dungowan 32 defeated North Tamworth 10
Kootingal 52 defeated Wee Waa 0
Narrabri 32 defeated Werris Creek 22
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